The present invention is an apparatus for marking the postdetonation safe area within an explosive environment. More particularly the present invention provides a means of high visibility marking of a post-detonation safe area within boundaries of an otherwise explosive environment, both during nighttime dark conditions and full-visibility daylight conditions.
The marking of post-detonation safe areas within an explosive hazard environment is usually performed by means of personnel setting marking flags for daylight visibility and placing flares for nighttime visibility to define the safe area. Several problems of note occur when the current methods of marking are used. For one, during nighttime operations, the placement of flares, if done manually, subjects the personnel placing the flares to risk in view of the fact that the maintenance of darkness or a low level of illumination may be operationally desirable and one can not always be certain where unexploded devices are located after the explosions have occurred. Some form of alternative illumination must be carried by the personnel placing the flares in order for them to be able to operate in the nighttime dark environment. Also, during the day a similar but not quite as significant a problem occurs. Specifically, the personnel performing the marking function are still subjected to risk from unexploded and hidden mines even though they have the benefit of daylight. Manually placing flags or flares in an explosive environment, whether at night or in daytime is, without question, a high risk business. Ideally, it is believed that a better and safer way of marking the postdetonation safe areas would be by providing a means for accomplishing the marking that may be introduced to the explosive hazard environment at the same time as the means for detonating a portion of the explosive environment. Obviously, it is imperative that the marking means deployed at the same time as the explosive discharge means be capable of withstanding any explosion used to set off the explosive environment.
One specific type of carrier which may be used to introduce the present invention into an explosive environment which is to be made safe by means of explosive discharge of the environment is what is known as a catapult-launched fuel air explosive weapons system (CATFAE). The CATFAE or similar device is capable of explosively triggering surface and subsurface explosive weapons such as mines in a mine field. The CATFAE is launched in the known direction of a land mine field and causes the mines in its immediate landing area to be detonated. Where a CATFAE device is used without the present invention it is able to explosively discharge an area immediately about its landing site. Further action to mark the cleared zone is required by mine clearing personnel in order to ensure that other personnel and equipment being deployed through the area occupied by the mine field can identify the safe areas cleared by the CATFAE. The CATFAE type of weapon is launched from a safe area and, at a point just prior to impact in the mine field, a parachute is deployed from the CATFAE to cause it to slow and land nose down in the mine field. A fuze on the nose end of the CATFAE device is triggered on impact or shortly thereafter, causing a cloud of explosive fuel to be dispersed in its immediate vicinity. Additionally, detonating devices are deployed into the area underlying the cloud and detonated to cause the explosive discharge of the cloud to be discharged. This explosive discharge produces overpressure in the immediate vicinity which causes mines on the surface and immediately below the surface of the ground beneath the explosive cloud to be set off. As presently used, the CATFAE does not provide a means for marking the safe area created by the explosive discharge of the fuel cloud it releases. Thus, here again, personnel are subjected to hazard when required to enter into the area expected to be explosively discharged and made safe and to mark that area.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a means for marking a safe area within an otherwise hazardous explosive environment.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a means for marking the area made safe by prior explosive detonation within a surrounding hazardous explosive environment.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide immediate marking of an explosive detonation site within a surrounding explosive hazardous environment.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a safe area marking capability carried by the means for discharging the immediate explosive environment to create the safe area.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a safe area marking capability actuated by means of the explosive mechanism employed to discharge and thus make safe the immediate explosive environment.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a safe area marking capability deliverable simultaneously and coextensively with the explosive means for safing the deployment site by detonation of the subject explosive environment.
These and other objects of the present invention will be more clearly understood when considered in light of and with reference to the drawings which are hereafter described and the narrative and detailed description which follow.